Ice Eagle
by Lia Bates
Summary: A Tayledras Adept who doesn't fit in with her isolated clan. Please R&R. (COMPLETED!)
1. Chapter 1

Ice Eagle  
  
Chapter 1  
  
*  
  
Icefire was sitting on one branch of the huge tree, with her back pressed back securely against the tree trunk. Technically she was on duty, but this was not much like work, although she kept the crossbow in her lap cocked. Just because they never saw a single outlander didn't mean there weren't other dangers around.  
  
And it annoys the elders no end that I risk the few dangers that there are, she thought bitterly. "You are a mage, a valuable asset of our clan - you can't go risking yourself like any common scout!" Valuable asset, my arse! At least here I can do something useful!  
  
She scowled as she thought about the mage elder who had all but forbidden her to work magic. And all because I completed the training faster and better than his son did - and because it rankled to have a girl being more powerful than he is! There had been bad blood between her and Adept Moonstar from the start, when she had bonded to one of the rare, white and silver ice eagles - the beautiful bird gave her the look of an already experienced mage, one whose bond bird had been bleached by exposure to magic.  
  
Just then a white eagle winged in. :Herd of dyheli to the east,: Dellan reported, landing on the branch at her feet.  
  
Icefire grinned as she climbed swiftly to the ground. Let her clan, K'Drena, disapprove to their heart's content. Let them call the non-humans "Advanced Change-children" - she would still continue associating with them.  
  
:Greetings, my fine young rebel.: A creamy stag greeted her cheerfully when she found the herd.  
  
"Devren!" she called in delighted surprise. "I haven't seen you in ages!"  
  
:My herd have been visiting with the more "non traditional" Tayledras clans,: the dyheli stag told her dryly. :Some of them have "deviated" so much they actually let non-humans share their vales.:  
  
"Oh, my." Said Icefire, her lips twisting in an effort not to smile. "Imagine Moonstar's reaction to that little revelation! He'd have a fit!"  
  
:Indeed.: Devren mindspoke. :Just like the fit he'd have about the outlanders being accepted into K'Sheyna.:  
  
Icefire smiled nastily. When, as a rebellious, unwanted, adolescent mage, she had started her friendship with the dyheli and the other denizens of the Pelagirs, they told her stories about the outland mages coming into the vales. She had thought those clans that Moonstar denounced as "evil" and "unprofessional" sounded wonderful.  
  
K'Drena was a "traditional" clan. They had isolated themselves deep into the Pelagirs, and it was doubtful that the other clans even knew of its existence. K'Drena did not let the non-humans that other clans cultivated anywhere near them, and outlanders were killed as a matter of course.  
  
But someday, she would leave the clan, and visit the outlands. Valdemar. She thought, savoring the strange word. Yes, someday, she promised herself, she would visit Valdemar.  
  
:You don't know the language.: asserted the practical Devren. He saw her droop slightly as she considered this, and cursed himself for disappointing his friend. : . . .But -: he hesitated.  
  
"But what?" she replied, her keen curiosity lifting her again.  
  
:I could teach you.: he told her. :I could put the language straight into your head. All of it.:  
  
"You can do that?" She asked in surprise. "Would you, please?"  
  
He nodded, and began to concentrate, initiating a mind link between the two.  
  
:Ouch!: she cried mentally. :That hurt!:  
  
:Sorry, Icefire.: Devren apologized. :I should have warned you.:  
  
She didn't hear. Her mind was dancing through plans of leaving K'Drena forever.  
  
*  
  
"Icefire." A voice acknowledged her coldly. "Still as pettily rebellious as ever, I see." She turned to survey the speaker. It was Starshine, Moonstar's equally arrogant son. "You know, in mage robes instead of those scout - rags - you might actually be quite pretty. I might even be inclined to offer you a feather." He advised her, smiling patronisingly.  
  
"Is the prospect supposed to thrill me?" she asked, in a coldly amused tone. Starshine infuriated her, but she never let him see that.  
  
Dellan flew in, silver beak and talons flashing in the sunset as her landed on her shoulder. He hissed at Rattan, Starshine's fat and pampered crow, and the stupid creature almost fell off his perch on Starshine's shoulder. A faint smile touched Icefire's silver-blue eyes, but she said nothing, merely returning to her isolated ekele, and the hot spring that flourished nearby.  
  
As she dropped her scout leathers on the pool's edge, she wished that K'Drena's refusal to acknowledge the non-humans did not extend to the hertasi. She could really use one of the lizard-like creatures to pick up after her. As it was, she had to tidy her own ekele.  
  
She left the pool and sat in her ekele, wearing the blue silk lounging robe she preferred, when there was a knock at her door. It was Stonefall, the leader of the scouts.  
  
"I was lonesome." He smiled in response to her query. "I thought I would offer you a feather, silver hair." He tugged one of her snowy locks as he spoke.  
  
It was an old endearment, referring to the fact that, in spite of the fact that most scouts cut and dyed their white hair, hers was still bleached a shining silver-white and fell to her waist.  
  
He held out a tawny bronze feather to her, and she stifled a stab of alarm as she looked at it. The beautiful feather had obviously come from his bondbird, a beautiful hawk of unusual coloring.  
  
"I can't take that, Stonefall." She told him gently. "Another feather, yes, but not one of Borden's." She did not like rejecting the man so much for no reason, but he would never understand her antipathy for K'Drena, and her desperation to leave. So, instead she accepted different feather, knowing inside that this would be the last time. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
*  
  
Icefire awoke at dawn. Stonefall had already left her ekele for an early patrol. Icefire slipped out of the empty bed, pulling on the silk robe that had fallen, forgotten, to the floor.  
  
Icefire had no duties to discharge today. She sat for a while at the foot of her rumpled bed, and made a decision. If she did not leave K'Drena today, she probably never would, so it was time to start packing.  
  
A silent laugh filled her eyes as she made her abrupt decision. She found the packs that she used for overnight patrols, and filled them with the clothes she needed, and the few provisions she could not provide for herself. She dressed in scout leathers, and placed the silky robe in the packs before fastening them closed and lifting them on to her back.  
  
:Where are we going?: Dellan asked her curiously.  
  
"We are leaving this Vale forever, dear one!" She laughed aloud, unable to restrain her overflowing joy. "We'll explore the Outlands! We can do whatever we want!" Giddy with joy, she almost danced down the steps of her ekele and out of the Vale.  
  
She went to the dyheli, for a farewell and some last advice before her departure.  
  
"Devren!" she called to the stag. "I'm leaving!" She laughed again as Dellan alighted on the stag's branching antlers, only to be shaken of by an impatient head.  
  
:Already?: Devren asked her, surprised. :Isn't this a bit sudden?:  
  
"Yes, already, and yes, I know it's sudden, but I want to go now. I left a note in my ekele explaining things." She smiled reassuringly at the worried dyheli. "And don't worry, I'm not about to go strolling off into the horizon. I'm going to Gate near to some Vale. I wanted your advice on which one."  
  
:A youngling of sense.: Devren approved pompously. :I suggest K'Vala. It is near the Valdemaran border, and very - ah - modern about Outlanders.:  
  
"So they won't lock me up for wanting to go out of the Pelagirs?" She smiled her thanks. "all right, a Gate spell it is."  
  
She initiated the draining spell, and quickly pulled power from a nearby node. She pierced the gate space and took the coordinates from Devren's obligingly open mind. The fiery portal showed a circle of strange forest - K'Vala.  
  
"Devren, my friend -"She said, caressing his neck. "I could never have done it without you. I hope to see you again someday."  
  
:I share your hope, youngling.: He told her, pushing his soft nose into her chest in a dyheli kiss.  
  
"Bright the day, my friend!" Cried Icefire as she stepped through the closing Gate.  
  
:Zhaihelleva, youngling.: said Devren as the Gate closed. :Wind to thy wings!:  
  
*  
  
Icefire stumbled through the Gate, suddenly exhausted, and collapsed, leaning on a tree for support.  
  
:Tired?: Dellan sent, worried. :Tired now?:  
  
"Yes, I'm tired." Icefire whispered, wishing that she dared to use one of the nodes to replenish herself, but it would might be rude. She needed to find the K'Vala clan, before she collapsed from energy-drain. "Dellan, find a bonded bird, let him know who you are." Her eyelids fluttered. "Quickly." 


	3. Chapter 3

I have never actually read Owlsight or Owlflight, which might contain information on K'Vala, so this will be very inaccurate. Sorry!  
  
*  
  
Chapter 3  
  
*  
  
:Nightfall -: The vorcel hawk addressed his bonded. :There is a bird I do not know, and he is bonded.:  
  
Nightfall looked up at his bondbird, suddenly alert and curious. :Who is he bonded to?:  
  
There was a brief silence. :To a mage. She sends us greetings.:  
  
Nightfall pondered this. A mage would have had to have gated here to arrive so suddenly - she would be exhausted. :Where?: he asked his vorcel hawk.  
  
:I lead.: the bird replied, and winged gently away.  
  
The mage had entered right on the border, an indication of some politeness, but still, Nightfall was worried. It must have been important for a single mage to risk exhaustion by Gating alone.  
  
He entered a tiny clearing, and saw her. She was dressed in scout clothing rather than mage robes, and her silver hair was bound in a simple braid rather than the complex Tayledras identification. She was leaning heavily against a tree with two packs lying at her feet. A strange, white eagle had alighted on her shoulder.  
  
She was an enigma. She was a mage, but dressed in scout clothing. And her hair - it was not like a scout's, for it was long and silver, but nor was it braided in a clan identification. She was obviously tired from the Gate spell, but her bondbird was white, showing long practice with magic.  
  
"Greetings." Nightfall said quietly into the stillness, and her silver-blue eyes snapped open.  
  
"Greetings." She replied, her voice soft with fatigue. Her accent was strange, and that added yet another mystery. "I am sorry to come with no invitation," she continued. "But perhaps K'Vala can accommodate a weary mage for a few days?"  
  
"Certainly." Replied the scout, already calling for a replacement. He would guide the mysterious stranger to the K'Vala council, where she could reveal her story.  
  
*  
  
The council stared at her. As a curiosity, she had been taken directly into the council meeting, interrupting a serious discussion of water sculptures.  
  
"So, mystery mage," said a pleasant faced elder. "What is your name, and where have you come from?"  
  
"I am Icefire." She replied. "And I Gated here from K'Drena Vale."  
  
"What?" shouted a suspicious hothead. Although it was difficult to tell with the characteristic silver hair, Icefire thought he was the youngest of the group. "There is no K'Drena Vale!"  
  
"There is," said Icefire, raising her hand in a pacifying gesture, "But I doubt you will have heard of them. Quite some time ago, our Council decided that all the other clans had deviated from your original purpose. K'Drena moved deep into the Wildlands, and ceased all contact with the rest of Tayledras. Anyone who enters the Clan territory is killed as a matter of course." She gave a bitter half smile. "They no longer even allow the non humans to enter their Vales."  
  
"You lie!" Accused the hothead. "If you have no contact with the outside world, how did you know the situation of another clan's Vale?"  
  
"Although I deplore Lightwing's lack of tact," said the first elder, staring sternly at that individual, "I must admit that his question has merit." Lightwing looked painfully smug. Icefire was suddenly reminded of Starshine, without the polish.  
  
"My clan avoided all contact with the nonhumans," Icefire replied, smiling slightly at the memory of her calculated rebellion. "I did not. I deliberately sought out contact with a roving dyheli herd, and they brought me news of the outside."  
  
"Which herd?" asked another elder. It was a woman, this time, and Icefire suppressed a surge of surprise that she be included in the council. In K'Drena, the male council members attempted to keep all power and prestige for themselves.  
  
"The King Stag is called Devren." Icefire replied, idly wondering whether this woman could possibly know of her friend.  
  
"I have met him." The woman replied, confirming Icefire's suspicions. "He passed through K'Vala quite recently. He must have traveled straight from here to K'Drena."  
  
"Now that you have answered all of our questions," said the first councilor, favoring Lightwing with another quelling look. "I believe that we can allow you to stay in K'Vala. Another mage will be a valuable asset." (Icefire hoped that the man did not see her quickly suppressed grimace at that familiar phrase.) "I have however, one last question." He continued, surprising Icefire. "Why did you choose to come to K'Vala, instead of the more well known K'Treva or K'Leshya clans?"  
  
At such an unexpected question Icefire almost laughed aloud. "I am not used to the type of elaborate display such clans no doubt would flaunt." She replied, trying to keep a quaver of amusement out of her voice. "K'Drena was depressingly basic, and K'Vala will be a place of wonder compared to it, and my eyes will have no danger of departing the confines of my head." Icefire continued, before adding ruefully. "But, in the end, it was K'Vala's proximity to the outland borders that finally decided me. I have long been possessed of an urge to explore the outlands that my clan deplored, and it will be easier by far to further this aim from here than it would be to accomplish from an inland clan such as the ones you mentioned."  
  
At this speech, the old man actually laughed, and there were a number of appreciative smiles. Even Lightwing's suspicious frown faded somewhat, and Icefire was pleasantly relieved by this acceptance.  
  
"I am Watersong K'Vala," said the old councilman. "First elder of K'Vala council, and I welcome you, Icefire K'Drena, to stay with our clan for as long as you wish."  
  
As the others all stood up and welcomed her as one of them, Icefire realized that she was giddy with joy. She had never felt so accepted in her entire life. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
*  
  
Icefire was taken to an empty ekele, where she immediately collapsed onto the bed and had slept until the following morning. Although she had studied the theory, she had never actually had to make a Gate before, and the effort had exhausted her far more than would usually be the case.  
  
Icefire woke to find the sunlight filtering through the unshuttered windows, and stretched languorously. It was then that she realized that she had fallen asleep in her scout leathers, and she sat up. She needed a change of clothing and a wash.  
  
She got out of the bed and looked around for the packs she had dropped unceremoniously on the floor the previous night. To her dismay, they were nowhere in sight. She pulled back the curtain that shrouded the clothes rack and peered inside. It was full of clothes. They were beautiful, delicate and exotic, and none of them were hers.  
  
She turned around to find one of the lizard like hertasi waiting patiently by the door.  
  
"Where are my clothes?" she demanded, completely at a loss for the reason of this mystery.  
  
"In the clothes rack," the hertasi replied, seemingly confused by her strange ignorance.  
  
"No, my clothes, my packs!" Icefire explained, looking about the ekele. The few possessions she had brought with her were arrayed about the room, but there was no sign of the plain leather packs or the clothing they contained. "Where were they put?"  
  
"They were very plain, very boring." The hertasi informed her. "Not suitable for you. Hertasi make new clothes, new packs, more beautiful, more suitable. The clothes are too plain for an important visiting mage."  
  
"Oh," said Icefire softly, taking a seat at the end of the bed. She had known that the hertasi were proud of their beautiful craftsmanship, but she had no idea that they would confiscate her packs for the sin of being too plain! Icefire remembered her wistful longing for a hertasi to look after her ekele, and she began to laugh. Rising, she selected a beautiful and elaborate mage robe from the selection of clothing, and turned again to the hertasi. "Is there a hot pool nearby?" she inquired, and when it answered with the affirmative, she selected a towel as well before leaving the ekele.  
  
She followed the hertasi's directions along deceptively twisting arched walkways. Icefire admired the effect of space such a layout gave, but deplored the confusion it would inevitably cause her.  
  
In spite of the maze of paths, she found the bathing pool with relative ease. It was larger than many of the pools in K'Drena, and she surmised that it was used by many, in spite of its emptiness at the moment.  
  
She relaxed in the hot water, and wondered what it was about her situation that was so different from the situation in K'Drena. The two Vales were not so very dissimilar in appearance, but she felt much more comfortable here than she ever had in her previous home.  
  
She dried her silvery hair thoroughly when she left the pool, and pulled the beautiful mage robe on. She thought with a mental chuckle that if the mage robes in K'Drena had been half as appealing or as comfortable, she would have been twice as likely to wear them!  
  
Her hair, now dry, she left loose in a rippling white waterfall. She did not often allow it to assume the natural waves that were so uncommon among the K'Drena; most Tayledras had very straight hair.  
  
"I thought I might find you here." Said a voice, making her start slightly. It was the scout from the previous morning.  
  
"Greetings!" replied Icefire. "I'm sorry, but I never did learn your name."  
  
The scout gave a chuckle. "I'm Nightfall. I came to inform you that there is going to be a party tonight in honor of your arrival."  
  
Icefire was shocked. In her K'Drena, she could count the number of parties the clan had held on one hand! Her arrival was not so big a thing as to cause a celebration, surely!  
  
Her surprise must have shown on her face, for Nightfall laughed again. "We take every opportunity for parties." He told her. "Surely you did in K'Drena, too?"  
  
This startled her even more, as he had left the council after delivering her to it. "Has rumor already circled the Vale about me?" she inquired.  
  
"Since you yourself were deeply asleep, curiosity had to be satisfied about you in some other fashion." He reasoned to her, smiling.  
  
Icefire winced slightly. "I suppose it was terribly rude of me," she admitted. "But I was tired - you see, yesterday was the first time I had ever built a Gate."  
  
"Truly?" he asked her, obviously confused. "But - your bondbird is all white - surely you have been a mage for a while."  
  
"I have - I just didn't make Gates - it was considered too much work for such a young mage as myself." This was said bitterly. "But anyway, Dellan's color has nothing to do with it. He's an ice eagle."  
  
Nightfall's eyes lit with fascination. "An ice eagle? Truly?"  
  
Ice eagles were very rare and very famous. They were much smarter than the normal bondbirds, but rarely bonded. They were called ice eagles for their strange coloring, a startling silver and white, which they got by channeling the power of active nodes to give them their unnatural speed. The node magic bleached their feathers even if they never bonded to a mage.  
  
"Yes, truly." Laughed Icefire. "One of the benefits of living deep in the wildlands was that ice eagles are a little more common there, although they are still rare. I was the only one of my clan to bond to one."  
  
Nightfall looked fascinated, and delighted with having a new peice of gossip to share. He excused himself soon after that, and she resigned herself to being gossiped about until the novelty wore off about her.  
  
*  
  
That evening, she dressed herself in the incredible outfit the hertasi had made for her. It was made of mid blue silk, embroidered liberally with white and silver threads. The bodice was tight, but the skirt must have been made out of almost a full circle of silk cloth, for it swirled in many loose folds around her legs. This delicate construction was covered by a cloak formed out of peices of translucent white silk, formed like feathers to make an amazing wing-like cover.  
  
As well as making this, the hertasi had apparently raided her store of Dellan's feathers, fo she was presented with a set of jewelery. The necklace was made of alternating white and silver feathers strung on a support silver lace. Beads of white and blue crystal were also strung on the necklace, and a long silver tail feather hung as the centerpeice to the elaborate decoration. There was a bracelet, made of a net of silver wires, hung with crystal beads, and more silver feathers were strung onto a clip for her hair.  
  
Her hair she decided to tease into the complex K'Drena design that she privately detested, and by the time she and the hertasi had finished, she looked more amazing than she had beleived possible.  
  
"Adequate." Said one hertasi, surveying her critically. "The best we can do on such short notice."  
  
Adequate! If this wealth was adequate, what would incredible be like? She was moved by the unending generosity of the K'Vala. They had given her so much, that she could hardly begin to repay them. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
*  
  
Icefire winced inwardly as she paused outside of the main K'Vala clearing. The entire clan would be watching for her, and she wished she could hide. What if they thought she was odd, like K'Drena had done? What if they thought she was boring company?  
  
:Shiny spell,: advised Dellan, and she bit back a chuckle. The ice eagle had thought of the perfect solution.  
  
On the few occasions where K'Drena gathered, Icefire had learned a simple spell that enhanced her appearance - the 'shiny' spell, as Dellan phrased it. All it did was make her seem very well illuminated in a dim light, or make her slightly reflect sunlight during the day. The effect was interesting and extremely entertaining. She stood out in any crowd, and peoples' eyes unconsciously turned to her. Yes - the shiny spell would be perfect.  
  
:If you can't hide, flaunt.: Icefire replied with a laugh in her voice, weaving the spell and casting it without making hardly a dent in her magical stores. Then, so prepared, she entered the clearing.  
  
She paused for effect at the entrance to the clearing, and stood regally as every eye turned to her. She then held up a fist for Dellan, who came winging down to land on her upraised hand in a flurry of silver and white.  
  
Then she stepped down among the crowd, hiding a secret smile at the interest on so many faces. It might have been the spell - but then again, it might not.  
  
*  
  
The gathering had been interesting. She had learned a great deal about the way these Tayledras clans differed from K'Drena. She liked the differences.  
  
In the normal Tayledras clans, woman had as much status as men. In K'Drena, the men grasped all the power, and held it in iron fists. In K'Drena, a mage who enjoyed scout work was scorned. Here, people were complimentary about it, and valued her expertise.  
  
There had been a number of offers - and not all of them feathers. One scout group had requested her aid in routing a herd of Change-lions. A mage-scout would help them greatly.  
  
The jobs she had accepted, but the feathers she refused. She didn't plan to stay in K'Vala for long, and she didn't want any of these men falling for her the way Stonefall had. That still hurt, that she'd had to leave him like that.  
  
But she knew, now, that she would never go back to K'Drena. The thought should have filled her with elation, but she felt lost. If K'Drena wasn't were she belonged, where did she? Not here, for certain. She already felt uncomfortable here; within a few months, she would have left this place, to roam the world until her wanderlust died.  
  
*  
  
Icefire spun the feather between her fingers, lost in thought. She was useful here. She was wanted, valued by the people of K'Vala. She spent her days working as a mage or scout, pleased by the compliments she received.  
  
Her skill at magery had improved. She had learned many new techniques, and her already large power had been strengthened and consolidated with constant practice.  
  
She had gained everything she had sought when she ran from her clan; appreciation and acclaim. She should be happy. But she wasn't. I seemed childish to admit it, but Icefire was tired of not quite fitting in. She was bored.  
  
What had brought her to this conclusion? When had she started to feel restless? When had she known she had to leave.  
  
She stroked the feather. It was beautiful, a soft, velvet brown that was streaked with darkness. It was plain, and unadorned.  
  
And it snapped in two as her fist clenched.  
  
She knew the answers to her questions, now. She had begun to feel restless two weeks ago - an unconscious nagging wish for a change. That was why she had accepted Sunsong's feather.  
  
Thus far, all her feathers had come from scouts, who she could talk to about her work in K'Drena, as well as K'Vala. But, with her longing for a change, she had accepted Sunsong, a mage. And he had given her that feather.  
  
The plain, unadorned feather.  
  
K'Drena never decorated the feathers they offered. Only since coming here had she received feathers decorated with gilt or jewels. Yet the feather she had been given had not been decorated to impress, as was the custom, or to encourage prospective partners to accept.  
  
It had been alien.  
  
An alien feather for an alien person, Sunsong? She thought bitterly. I didn't think you capable of that.  
  
She didn't fit in. She never would. The feather had been proof of that. No K'Vala girl would have accepted such a dowdy gift. She didn't want to stay here - not any more.  
  
*  
  
The council had been understanding, and generous. But their kindness had struck a bitter note.  
  
"You're still our guest - you don't have to leave yet . . ." Guest. She winced at the unconscious phrasing.  
  
"Soll," she asked the hertasi who hovered nearby. "Can I have my packs back, please?" She still remembered the day she had awoken to find her belongings missing.  
  
The hertasi immediately left, returning with two ornate packs, made of pale brown leather, decorated with patterns of beads and embroidery.  
  
"These aren't my packs!" protested Icefire weakly, knowing that any argument would be lost from the start. Probably these packs were "more beautiful, more suitable" than her previous set of old, worn leather.  
  
The hertasi resisted any notion that she should return the beautiful clothing they had made her, as well. In any case, Icefire did not argue this point too hard.  
  
She packed again, surprised at how many possessions she had gained. Luckily, most were small. She had no wish to leave any behind. The packs became filled with all her possessions, and each extra thing she added reminded her of how much she owed this clan, who had helped her with so much.  
  
:Where are we going?: asked Dellan, alighting on his perch.  
  
"K'Valdemar." Icefire replied as she fastened the pack closed. "Maybe we'll stay there." She whispered, hoping for a place were she could stay.  
  
With a start, she remembered the last time she had packed her bags to leave a Vale. She had been giddy with joy, then. But now I only feel guilty. She thought. I feel ungrateful, as though I should belong, but I just can't!  
  
With a sigh she lifted her packs and left the ekele.  
  
*  
  
Watersong had decided that as a farewell gift to her, he would build a Gate to K'Valdemar for her. She smiled wistfully as she bid him good bye. He had been a great friend to her, and she thought that, someday, she would return and see him again.  
  
"I sent K'Valdemar a message." The old man told her. "They know you are coming. The Gate will put you right into there Vale."  
  
She smiled her gratitude at his forethought as she stepped through the Gate, and into the Outlands she longed to explore.  
  
*  
  
Icefire looked about in wonder. There could be no greater opposite to K'Drena than this! Ekele with ramps for kyree, accommodation for dyheli, and even -  
  
:Gryphons!: came Dellan's gleeful shout, and he promptly went into a dive at Kelven's crest.  
  
:Dellan!: Icefire scolded, shocked at the eagle's impolite action, even as the bronze colored gryphon flattened his crest and moved away. :Come here right now!:  
  
With a resentful mental rumble, Dellan alighted on her shoulder.  
  
"Thossse birdsss," said Kelvren "Arrre too imperrrtinent forrr theirrr own good."  
  
He presented Dellan with a baleful glare, to which the ice eagle responded with a preparation for a pounce. Icefire grabbed his taloned feet, and reinforced her mental order. Darian and Keisha Firkin laughed at the antagonistic looks the two were exchanging, and Icefire felt her heart lifting.  
  
When kyree, dyheli were accepted into a Clan, surely one out of place magescout could be, to.  
  
Icefire smiled as she followed the trio into what could be a new home. 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
*  
  
Dellan flew overhead, delighting in the open breeze, outside of the protective shields that covered the Vale. Icefire flew with him, revelling in the freedom his flight gave her. No worries, no problems, when you flew on the winds.  
  
A hand was placed on her shoulder, and, with a start, she jerked back to awareness.  
  
"You aren't happy here," stated the newcomer. It was Silverfox, the Kestra'Chern.  
  
His shrewd assessment startled Icefire. She had thought she had hidden her growing restlessness too well to be detected. The truth was, she was more comfortable in K'Valdemar than she had been in a long time - but it wasn't enough. She wasn't made to stay in one place, not even one as nice as this. But how could she leave? She had already accepted Darien's offer to make her home with K'Valdemar.  
  
Frustration made her grind her teeth.  
  
Silverfox settled on the stone next to her. She had crept away, to be out of the Vale, and found a wooded area were she had sat to be alone with her thoughts. Silverfox's arrival was a distraction that she did not want.  
  
"You are restless; you want to be on the road again." Silverfox continued, seemingly oblivious to her resentful silence. "K'Valdemar is not the home you have sought, but you do not know how to tell Darien, when you accepted his invitation."  
  
Icefire stared at him. Where had he gotten this? He wasn't even looking at her, but staring contemplatively at the tiny clearing in which they sat.  
  
"Do you think they will be angry?" Silverfox asked her. "Do you think they will be upset if you tell them you want to leave?"  
  
"Wouldn't they?" Icefire replied, self pity filling her tone. "I know I would be, if someone accepted an invitation, and then spurned it."  
  
Silverfox paused before answering. "I think that they would be upset if they knew that staying here was making you unhappy." He replied at last, neatly evading her question. "I think they would understand if you told them that K'Valdemar is not the home for you." With that he stood, and turned away again. "Think about it." He advised her, before melting into the trees.  
  
*  
  
Privately, Icefire suspected that Silverfox had dropped a word in appropriate ears after he left her. Darien and the rest of the council showed no surprise when she approached them with her decision to wander, and they were far more understanding than she had ever hoped.  
  
"Where will you go now?" Darien had asked her curiously, but now, as then, she had no answer. She would just wander where the wind pulled her.  
  
:Wind can't pull you,: Dellan reminded her, confused. :You stick to the ground.:  
  
Icefire laughed, wondering how on earth to explain a metaphor to the inquisitive bird, and continued on her way.  
  
Because she had no destination in mind, she did not Gate, but walked, well supplied with Valdemaran coin, from village to village. She followed no particular direction, occasionally doubling back or making illogical twists, but every day she was filled with joy, knowing that her home was wherever she made it, and would not grow stale or repetitive. Her heart danced as she journeyed, and she suspected that she would travel all her life, just for the thrill of waking every day in a new place, and falling asleep in yet another.  
  
Why do people stay in one place? Icefire wondered. How boring their days must be, with the same old sights every moment.  
  
She smiled as she walked, with Dellan for companionship and no one to dictate her life.  
  
Hoof beats sounded, and she stepped to one side of the road. Horses were something new to her as well, although she was very familiar with the vaguely horse-ish dyheli. From the sound of the animal's hooves on the road, this one was moving at a brisk trot - a quite different animal from the docile farm beasts that this region sported.  
  
She looked with interest as the riderless horse came into view, and then gasped as mage sight confirmed an unusual truth. This creature was no horse, but a Guardian Spirit - a lesser spirit, true, but still the most powerful of its kind that Icefire had ever laid eyes on. To mage sight it shone with a silver-blue glow that dazzled even as it awed.  
  
Common sense reintruded shadow her amazement. Hadn't the Outland Wingsibs been accompanied by Guardian spirits? Apparantly they were relatively common in Valdemar - they chose people to protect the country.  
  
I'm glad I not available, she thought. I would not like having to stay in Valdemar all my life.  
  
The Companion approached, and Icefire noted that her coat had been mage- bleached to a glowing white, and that her eyes were a piercing blue.  
  
She wouldn't be so out of place in Tayledras. Icefire smiledat her whimsy. According to story, the Companions hardly ever left their country.  
  
Icefire bowed respectfully as the Companion neared, and waited patiently by the road side for her to leave before she continued her own journey.  
  
The Companion stopped, however, squarely in front of the startled Tayledras, and examined her carefully.  
  
Then she spoke, soft voice echoing in Icefire's mind.  
  
:Hello, Icefire.: the Companion said calmly. :I am Asterra, and I Choose you.: 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
  
*  
  
Icefire stared in astonishment at the Companion for a long time before finally finding her tongue. "You," she told Asterra with conviction, "Are crazy."  
  
:Why?: replied Asterra. The blasted creature actually sounded curious!  
  
Icefire sputtered. "I - I'm not good Herald material!" she replied at length. "I can't stay in one place, I get bored and want to leave. I'm going to explore, everywhere. I'm never going to stop travelling - I can't. I can't be a Herald."  
  
:You want to explore?: the Companion asked slowly.  
  
"Yes," Icefire replied, wondering where this was going.  
  
:So do I.: Asterra said cheerfully. :Let's explore together.:  
  
That was a shock. One of Valdemar's famous Companions actually wanted to leave? Icefire began to laugh.  
  
:Why are you laughing?: Asterra asked, irritated with her levity. :I was serious!:  
  
"I think it's a great idea, dear one," said Icefire, laying a hand on Asterra's snowy shoulder. "But just imagine the looks on their faces!"  
  
:Oh dear,: said Asterra. Icefire got the impression that, if she was human, she would have bitten her lip. :I didn't think of that!:  
  
"I have a question, Asterra," continued Icefire in a more serious tone. "How can you Choose me, when I'm already bonded to Dellan?"  
  
This question was considered for a while before being answered. :You have too great a heart, Chosen.: Asterra told her. :Too big to love only one person, just like it is too great to love only one place. You can have me, and have Dellan, too.: She continued. :Neither of us will be jealous of the other.:  
  
As if to prove this, Dellan flew down and alighted on the pommel of Asterra's elaborate saddle. :Horse can carry me.: He informed Icefire cheekily. :Horse not get tired.:  
  
:Horse?: Asterra snorted indignantly at this insult. :At least I'm not a pidgeon like yourself, birdbrain!:  
  
Icefire laughed. If nothing else, this proved to be an interesting partnership!  
  
*  
  
Mounted on Asterra, the miles flew past. Although Icefire had enjoyed the exertion of walking, she had to admit that this was much more convenient.  
  
:Where do we go, 'Sterra?: Icefire mindspoke. The wind of their passing would snatch words away.  
  
We'll overnight at a Herald's waystation.: was the reply. :It will take three days to reach Haven.:  
  
They galloped on through the afternoon, but soon Dellan called.  
  
:A building near the road!: He swooped down to land on the pommel, his now accustomed perch.  
  
:That's our Waystation, pigeon.: Asterra told him, turning off onto a little-used path. Then, in a wistful tone, she asked, :There weren't any Companions about, were there, Dell?:  
  
"What, lonesome?" Icefire laughed.  
  
:Just hoping that there might be a handsome stallion,: she replied. :And who knows? Perhaps a handsome Herald to ride him, too.: Then Asterra cocked her head to look at Dellan. :But for you . . . sorry, pigeon, it isn't breeding season.:  
  
The Companion and her rider laughed at the 'pigeon's outraged squawk.  
  
*  
  
"Do you know any good ways to slip into Haven unnoticed?" asked Icefire hopefully. She didn't want people staring at her. She didn't like being 'different'.  
  
:Sorry, Chosen.: Asterra replied, shaking her head. :You're on a Companion - no one's going to overlook you.:  
  
"Great." Muttered Icefire, sitting down. No doubt the citizens would all gawk at her silver hair, and whisper that she was a freak. "Just great."  
  
They had reached Haven, and Icefire had had enough experience from the villages they had come across to suspect how the citizens would look upon her.  
  
:Chosen - if you don't want to be treated like a freak, don't act like you're ashamed of it.: Asterra told her. :Put on your most outrageously Tayledras clothes, and you will be treated like a freak worthy of respect.:  
  
Dellan nodded sagely before giving his own advice. :Shiny spell.: he told her happily. :Use shiny spell on us.:  
  
Asterra looked confused. On a horse's face, the expression was very interesting. :What's the pigeon jabbering about now, Chosen?: she asked, shaking herself to dislodge him from his perch on her mane. :What is this 'shiny spell'?:  
  
"I'll tell you later." Icefire replied, jumping to her feet. "But now - I have some clothes to find."  
  
She saddled Asterra first, knowing it would be difficult to work in the elaborate clothing she planned to wear. Then she emptied her packs onto the rough bed the Waystations procvided, gently removing an outfit from the very bottom.  
  
She laid it out on the bed. It was a pale blue dress with a cloak of silver white. She had worn it only once, for the Welcoming party in K'Vala, but she had kept it her entire journey.  
  
:Ohhh . . .: Gasped Asterra, looking in the door. :Chosen - that is beautiful.:  
  
"Huh." Icefire replied, tickling the mare's nose with a feather. "You're just thinking how nice I shall look on your back!"  
  
When they set off, the group were stunning. As well as wearing her full 'best' regalia, Icefire had braided both her and Asterra's silvery hair in the elaborate K'Drena pattern. It had been a lengthy process, but Icefire had to admit that they were a lovely pair.  
  
The real trouble had been mounting. The dress, though very lovely, was impractical for such a task, and the cloak did nothing to help. In the end, Asterra had to kneel on the ground while her Chosen awkwardly clambered on and arranged her skirts.  
  
Dellan, too, was a nuisance, for he became thoroughly over excited, and flew wildly about, landing at the most inopportune times on a shoulder, or in Asterra's case, a neck. In the end, the pair had had to shout at him until he took himself to fly high overhead.  
  
Soon, however, he had forgotten his huff, and he flew down to perch on the saddle pommel, staring with interest at the approaching city.  
  
*  
  
Icefire set in motion two spells when they approached the city. The 'shiny' spell, and one Firesong had taught her during her stay in K'Valdemar - the 'echo' spell.  
  
The echo spell simply made everyone within twenty paces of the ancor - Icefire - suddenly become quieter, so every sound made by the anchor would seem twice as loud. The two spells working in concert, Icefire predicted, along with their exotic appearance, should make them the biggest show in town.  
  
Citizens gathered, to gawk, as Icefire had pessimistically predicted, at this freakshow. They were not dissapointed, for as well as the elaborately attired Companion and her obviously alien rider movimg by at a stately trot, Dellan gave a stunning show of aerobatics, swooping and diving through the air. Often, when dived, Icefire would hold out a bare fist, and their audience would gasp as Dellan's wicked talons clenched, without hurting her in the slightest, on her unshielded skin.  
  
Icefire was actually enjoying playing the arrogant barbarian mage, and she knew she would stick in people's minds for a long time. She quickly smoothed the smile from her face. No arrogant barbarian mage ever smiled.  
  
News of her arrival was speeding ahead. Judging by Dellan's reports, it had reached the palace by now - but it was always good to be sure.  
  
:'Sterra, do the other Companions know I'm coming?:  
  
There was a ripple of wicked laughter in Asterra's tone as she answered. :I threw them into quite a flutter, I assure you.: There was a pause. : Ah, yes - Gwena tells me that I am a shameless exhibitionist, and that you are at least as bad as Firesong.: The laughter overtone had strengthened.  
  
:She won't tell Elspeth, will she?: Icefire asked anxiously. :That it's all an act?:  
  
Asterra dismissed this out of hand. :None of them would spoil our fun, don't worry.:  
  
Icefire wondered, at the back of her mind, how the Heralds were taking the news of her arrival. 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
  
*  
  
Elspeth's face became astonished when Gwena told her that one of the Companions had managed to choose some elegant Tayledras mage. Darkwind noticed her suddenly changed expression. "  
  
"What happened?" he asked her anxiously. "Bad news?"  
  
Elspeth shook her silver-streaked head. "Maybe." She replied. "I don't know. Darkwind, what would you say if I told you that a Companion has managed to Choose a Tayledras mage, bond-bird and all, and they are currently putting on a show in the city that Firesong himself could not rival?"  
  
"I'd say that Gwena was pulling a trick on you." He replied. "You're not joking? It's true?"  
  
She nodded. "Asterra, one of the mares, managed to find some Tayledras adept. They are, to Gwena's disgust, making quite a spectacle of themselves."  
  
"Well, it will help with our mage-school." Darkwind reminded her practically. "But - are you sure she has a bond-bird? She really shouldn't be bonded and Chosen."  
  
Elspeth shrugged her ignorance. "I'm only repeating what Gwena told me." She told her mate. "We should go meet this new trainee."  
  
*  
  
The stranger came riding up, an ice statue in silver and blue. The white bird that circled above her dived to perch on the front of her saddle.  
  
Elspeth was dazzled. The bright sunlight reflected and glittered, making her seem more than human, and the bell like chime of Asterra's hooves seemed unnaturally loud. They stopped near the welcoming comitee, and the woman dismounted with a flowing grace that awed the spectators.  
  
Suddenly, though, something changed. The woman looked strangely ordinary, no longer a glittering, god-like creature. She was still dressed in an outlandish Tayledras mage robe, but even that ceased to shine in the sunlight, becoming merely a beautiful dress, rather than a creation of magic.  
  
"Greetings." Said the woman. "I'm Icefire. And you would be Elspeth and Darkwind."  
  
Elspeth blinked. This crisp acknowlegdement was not what she had expected from the arrogant mage that had been reported to her. And that sudden change, from lofty Godling to ordinary woman - that was unexpected too.  
  
Elspeth didn't know what to say, and she decided on a superior air. If Icefire's sudden change was an act, supeiority would reveal it.  
  
"I am Herald Mage Elspeth." She replied, straightening to her tallest height. Elspeth noted with chagrin that Icefire was at least as tall as her.  
  
She would have continued, to tell the new arrival about colegium rules, but Icefire spoke. "I am, as I said, Icefire, adept mage-scout of K'Drena. It is good to finally meet you." Icefire's tone was deferential, and she had to repress a twitch at one corner of her mouth. Elspeth was of balance, and Icefire could not let her act drop now.  
  
At this a frown rippled Elspeth's forehead, and Darkwind suddenly spoke.  
  
"K'Drena? There is no Tayledras clan K'Drena!" he protested.  
  
Icefire sighed. "K'Drena isolated themselves from the rest of Tayledras." She recited. "They maintained no contact, and the rest of Tayledras forgot them. I am the only K'Drena ever to leave the clan."  
  
Elspeth caught the feeling of an old litany, and felt her suspiscion lightened. She allowed her superior air to slip a notch.  
  
"As a new Trainee, you will have to learn the rules of the Heraldic colegium. And," now Elspeth's face lit with a genuine, if sardonic, smile, "You will have to wear Greys, the traditional outfit of the colegium."  
  
A secret smile lit the back of Icefire's eyes. Little did Elspeth know that she actually preferred the plain scout leathers, rather than this paraphenalia. She would keep her secrets, until she knew if she wanted to stay here for any length of time.  
  
*  
  
Her room was plain, and almost stifling in it's tiny, rock lined security. True, the rooms in wayside inns had been as bad, if not worse, but she was only going to stay in them for one night.  
  
Valdemar, one point down. Exploring, one point up.  
  
She was shown one of the Grey uniforms.  
  
"It's rather plain, isn't it?" she told Elspeth critically. Not only that, but the tight-fitting scout leathers were more practical by far.  
  
"Plain or not, you have to wear it." Said Elspeh, seemingly exasperated by this criticism. "It's the rules.2  
  
Constraints. Thought Icefire tightly. Valdemar, ten points down.  
  
"How long would I have to stay at the Colegium?" Icefire asked, becoming more and more enamoured of the roving life.  
  
"It will probably take four or five years for you to finish training to be a Herald."  
  
Something snapped in Icefire. Blow that! She thought. No way was she staying here for five years!  
  
:Come on, 'Sterra, let's blow this joint.: she told her Companion.  
  
:Bored already?: the Companion sighed. :Well, let's hit the road.:  
  
"Elspeth," Icefire said, striding to the door. "I'm out of here."  
  
The Herald was startled, and stood, shocked, in the room while Icefire made her escape.  
  
*  
  
The laughing trio sped from the palace, with Asterra and Icefire pounding, and Dellan winging his way overhead.  
  
Ice Eagles never stay in one place for longer than it takes to raise chicks. They lived a nomadic life, rarely returning to old roosts.  
  
Dellan spun a joyful spiral in the sky.  
  
Yes, a traveling life was the best! 


End file.
